More details have been added since President Trump traveled to Indiana in September to announce an outline of the plan he hopes lawmakers will send him by the end of the year.

There are still many hurdles, however, to achieving that goal. And even some groups eagerly hoping for a bill are pushing for changes.

Here's a look at the state of play:

Where do things stand?

House Republicans are still tinkering in committee with the bill they introduced last week. They hope to bring it to a floor vote before Thanksgiving.

Senate Republicans could release their version of the plan as early as Thursday.

What’s in the House bill?

The major components of the bill are reductions in business taxes, including cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. The bill would also simplify the individual tax code, lowering some rates while also removing many exemptions and deductions and capping others.

Most of the bill's $1.5 trillion cost would benefit corporations and business owners. Republicans argue the tax cuts are needed to spur economic growth, which will make up for the loss of revenue to the federal government. But independent analysts disagree. The credit ratings agency Fitch concluded the cuts could lead to a short-lived boost to output, but they won't pay for themselves or lead to a permanently higher growth rate.

Would individuals get a tax break?

Most households would get a tax cut of more than $100 in 2019, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. By 2027, the share of households getting at least a $100 benefit would drop to about one-third. And 20 percent would pay at least $100 more in federal income tax than under current law.

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President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform at the State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis on Sept. 27, 2017. The invitation-only event was held at the fairgrounds' Farm Bureau Building. (Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

The House bill would end the deduction for income and sales taxes, and cap the deduction for property taxes. But lawmakers representing states most affected are pointing out that their constituents are already contributing more to federal coffers than they’re getting back. California and New York get back less in federal spending than residents pay in federal taxes, according to the New York Office of the State Comptroller. Indiana, on the other hand, like most states, gets back more in federal spending than residents pay in taxes.

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What do Indiana’s House members think of the plan?

Most of Indiana’s seven GOP House members put out statements praising the House bill when it was released. The exception was Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Jeffersonville. Asked Wednesday if he supports the bill, Hollingsworth said in a statement he is “studying diligently to ensure we get the tax reform Hoosiers demanded last November.” (His spokesman said Hollingsworth doesn’t comment on draft legislation.)

On the Democratic side, Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis, has said the GOP plan will not grow the economy or help working families.

Where do Indiana businesses stand?

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce, which is eager for a tax overhaul, likes much about the House bill including the cut in the corporate tax rate.

And if a bill doesn’t pass now when Republicans — who control the White House and both chambers of Congress are making an all-out effort — that raises the question of “under what circumstances are they ever going to get it done?” said Bill Waltz, the chamber’s vice president of tax and public finance.

“There’s a good message in passing something and there’s a really bad message in not passing something,” Waltz said.

But the National Federal of Independent Businesses opposes the House bill in its current form, and is pushing to expand the benefits for small businesses.

“This leaves far too many small businesses behind,” said Barbara Quandt Underwood, Indiana state director for NFIB, who will be at Thursday’s event. “If there’s going to be tax reform — and we’ve been waiting for tax reform for a long time — then let’s start with those that are the engine of the economy.”

The Indiana Manufacturers Association also has concerns. The group is enthusiastic about the cut in the corporate tax rate, the simplification of the tax code and moving toward making foreign income earned by U.S. companies tax-free.

But IMA has big concerns about a proposed excise tax on imports by multinational companies.

Andrew Berger, the group's vice president of governmental affairs, said the excise tax is particularly problematic for Indiana because of the amount of foreign investment in the state, such as the Japanese auto assembly plants. If the excise tax passes, Berger said, “the companies that are here would have second thoughts about their investments.”

“It’s that serious,” he said.

What do conservative groups think?

Getting a tax bill to the president’s desk is the top priority for Americans for Prosperity, a grassroots arm of the political network affiliated with billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch that is particularly active in Indiana. Although the group is pushing for changes in the bill — including getting rid of the proposed excise tax on imports by multinational companies — state director Justin Stevens called the House bill a “great start on bold tax reform.”

But the Club for Growth, a group that challenges GOP lawmakers it considers not conservative enough, says the House bill “fails the pro-growth test.” David McIntosh, the former Indiana lawmaker who heads the group, has outlined four changes the Club is seeking to further reduce taxes on the wealthy.

“This bill must be changed if Republicans intend to keep their promise of real pro-growth, job-creating tax cuts,” said McIntosh, who is close to Pence.

What do other interest groups think?

Interest groups are marshaling forces to protect some of the tax benefits for individuals the House bill would limit or eliminate.. For example, AARP and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network are among the groups fighting the proposed elimination of the existing tax deduction for large medical expenses. Home builders and Realtors are trying to protect the mortgage interest deduction. Social conservatives are rallying to keep an adoption tax credit.

And the Indianapolis Congregation Action Network, a faith-based group active on social and economic justice issues, is opposing the entire bill. The group argues it will give tax breaks to the rich while leading to a reduction in health care and other services for those in need.

Contact Maureen Groppe at mgroppe@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mgroppe.

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